With e-MERLIN facing the axe, what next for Jodrell Bank and UK astronomy?
Summary
This episode addresses the threat to the UK’s Lovell Telescope and e-MERLIN network due to STFC budget cuts. Host Andrew Glatter interviews Professor Simon Garrington and Dr. David Williams Baldwin at Jodrell Bank, who explain how these radio telescopes achieve high-resolution imaging of black holes and dark matter. They discuss the potential loss of specialized expertise, the impact on early-career scientists, and the broader implications for UK physics research and international collaborations.
Topics discussed
Introduction: UK science funding cuts and the solar eclipse
How e-MERLIN links telescopes via fiber optics
Data processing and correlator technology upgrades
The risk of losing decades of expertise and skills
Radio astronomy: Seeing through dust and gas
The correlator: Aligning signals like a supercomputer
History of the Lovell Telescope and Jodrell Bank
Observing the solar eclipse and Fast Radio Bursts
Understanding resolution and triangulation in arrays
Global arrays and the Event Horizon Telescope
Discovering black holes and transient objects
Impact on careers and early career scientists
e-MERLIN vs. SKA: Complementary capabilities
Funding cuts and planetary defense radar work
Public engagement and the value of active science
Campaigning efforts and broader physics cuts
Economic impact and training the next generation
Future ambitions, data archives, and how to help
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